Cited by 94Fire effects on ecosystemsForest Insect Ecology and ManagementPlant Pathogens and Resistance

Interacting disturbances: wildfire severity affected by stage of forest disease invasion

Metz, Margaret R., Frangioso, Kerri M., Meentemeyer, Ross K., Rizzo, David M.·2011·Ecological Applications

Abstract

Sudden oak death (SOD) is an emerging forest disease causing extensive tree mortality in coastal California forests. Recent California wildfires provided an opportunity to test a major assumption underlying discussions of SOD and land management: SOD mortality will increase fire severity. We examined prefire fuels from host species in a forest monitoring plot network in Big Sur, California (USA), to understand the interactions between disease-caused mortality and wildfire severity during the 2008 Basin Complex wildfire. Detailed measurements of standing dead woody stems and downed woody debris 1-2 years prior to the Basin fire provided a rare picture of the increased fuels attributable to SOD mortality. Despite great differences in host fuel abundance, we found no significant difference in burn severity between infested and uninfested plots. Instead, the relationship between SOD and fire reflected the changing nature of the disease impacts over time. Increased SOD mortality contributed to overstory burn severity only in areas where the pathogen had recently invaded. Where longer-term disease establishment allowed dead material to fall and accumulate, increasing log volumes led to increased substrate burn severity. These patterns help inform forest management decisions regarding fire, both in Big Sur and in other areas of California as the pathogen continues to expand throughout coastal forests.

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Crossref · 10.1890/10-0419.1

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Authors
Metz, M. R., Frangioso, K. M., Meentemeyer, R. K., & Rizzo, D. M.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Davis (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Charlotte (US)
Venue
Ecological Applications
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2011-03
Volume
21
Issue
2
Pages
313-320
ISSN
1051-0761 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2024084309
Cited by
94
References
25
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 8
FWCI
6.32
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Ecological Applications (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Fire effects on ecosystems
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Forest Insect Ecology and Management
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant Pathogens and Resistance
Keywords
sudden oak death, Phytophthora ramorum, wildfire severity, burn severity, woody debris, dead wood, forest management, Big Sur
MeSH terms
California, Fires, Plant Diseases, Trees, Ecosystem

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